Weight lifting construction



Feb. 20, 1962 R. w. MILLER WEIGHT LIFTING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1959 INVENTOR Raphael W Miller ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,022,073 WEIGHT LIFTING CONSTRUCTION Raphael W. Miller, 1406 W. Franklin St., Jackson, Mich. Filed Jan. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 787,263 6 Claims. (Cl. 272-84) The invention relates to exercising equipment and particularly pertains to equipment of weight lifting nature of the dumb bell and bar bell type.

The conventional lifting weight of the bar bell or dumb bell type consists of a shaft which may be grasped by the hand, weights supported on the ends of the shaft and means to amx the weights to the shaft. It has been common practice to employ weights of circular disc configuration provided with an axial hole slightly larger than the shaft diameter whereby the weight is slipped onto the shaft and then collars axially positionable on the shaft are brought into engagement with the weight and fixed to the shaft by set screws to prevent the weight from shifting on the shaft. Several other types of weight securing means are commonly employed, however, those of which I have knowledge require a tool such as a screw driver, wrench or key or the set screw is provided with an elongated handle which protrudes from the collar and constitutes a safety hazard. Such conventional constructions are of disadvantage, especially in home exercising equipment, in that the wrench or key is easily misplaced and the collars or weight retaining members are unsightly and hazardous in that they protrude from the shaft configuration and are usually affixed near the hand gripping portion of the shaft. Another disadvantage of most conventional constructions arises from the possibility that the weights at each end of the shaft may not be positioned at the same distance from the end causing the balance of the bell to shift each time the weights are changed unless care is taken to prevent such occurrence.

It is thus an object of the invention to provide an exercise weight which is attractive in appearance, in which the weights may be easily changed as desired and which does not require tools or accessory equipment to affix the weights in position. 1 V

A further object of the invention is'to provide an exercise bell weight in which the means locating the weight on the shaft is substantially confined within the configuration of the weight and the means locking the weight in place comprises a threaded nut-like member.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an attractive, safe exercise weight which may be produced from easily machined and formed components.

These and other objects of the invention arising from the constructional details and relationships will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exercise weight in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the assembled weights and pin taken along line IIII of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken along line IIIIII of FIG. 2.

As the novelty and improvement presented by the invention relates to the means maintaining the weights upon the hand gripped shaft it will be appreciated that my construction may be employed with either a dumb bell for use with one hand or a bar bell which is lifted with both hands. The illustrated embodiment is of the latter type.

As shown in FIG. 1, a bar bell employing the inventive concepts may take the basic conventional forms of a pair of weight assemblies 10 mounted adjacent the ends of a shaft 12 which is grasped by the hands. The shaft 10 is usually of cylindrical configuration and is provided at the ends with a reduced and threaded portion 14. A

ice-

diametrical hole 16 is also formed in the shaft 10, FIG. 2, at a pres-determined distance from the shaft ends for reasons that will be later apparent.

The weight 10 employed at each end of the shaft will usually consist of at least two individualweights, one of the weights being in the form of a cylindrical nut 18 having a threaded axial recess 20 which cooperates with the threads of portion 14 and the primary weight is in the form of a cylindrical disc 22 which is provided with an axial bore 24. Preferably the recess 20 does not extend through the weight 13 and both weights 18 and 22 are radiused at all edges to provide an attractive appearance and improve the safety and handling characteristics of the weights.

Both sides of the primary disc weight 22 are formed with a concentric depression 26 having a planar face and an annular axial extending shoulder 28. Although for the purposes of the invention it is only necessary that the depression 26 be formed on the inner side of the weight 22 it is preferred that the depressions be formed on both sides thereof for the sake of uniform appearance and ease of assembly.

- A cylindrical pin 30 of slightly less diameter than that of the hole 16 completes the weight assembly. The pin is of a length slightly less than the diameter of the depression 26 and may be rounded on the ends.

The weights are assembled to the shaft 10 in the following manner: The pin 30 is first inserted in the hole 16 and substantially centered and maintained in the hole by the operators hand, the weight 22 is then slipped onto the end of the shaft 12 and axially moved therealong until the face of the inner depression 26 contacts the pin and the shoulder 28 overlaps the ends of the pin. The nut weight 18 is then threaded onto the portion 14 until it abuts the outer depression 26 of weight 22 and firmly,- forces the weight 22 against pin 30 forming a tight assembly which will not rattle and wherein all the com-- ponents are firmly maintained in position. 7

Should the nut weight 18 begin to unloosen due to' vibration caused when the barbell is lowered to the floor or due to other causes, thepin 30 will not fall out, due to the shoulder28 of the depression 26 overlapping the ends of the pIn. Should the" weight assembly become loosened to this extent the operator will become aware of the condition by the movements and noise produced by the weights and pin as the bar bell is used and retightening the nut weight will restore the proper relationship. Thus the depression 26 and pin 30 provide an important safety feature.

In normal construction the nut weight 18 will weigh about two pounds and the disc weight ten pounds. Should it be desired to add more weight to the bar bell additional holes 32 may be formed in the shaft and axially spaced from the shaft end such that the aforementioned relationship between nut weight 18, pin 30 and the inner depression 26 will be maintained although the pin 30 is inserted into the hole 32 and an additional weight 22 is slipped onto the end of the shaft 12 so as to engage vthe innermost weight 22 on one side and be contacted by the nut weight 13 on the other side. Obviously by using a plurality of axially spaced holes 32 as many weights could be added to the shaft 12 as desired.

Should a lighter weight hell he desired, as in a one hand dumb bell construction, than can be obtained by employing a single nut weight 18 and single disc weight 22 as in FIG. 2, the weight 22 and pin may be removed and the nut weight 18 alone threaded on the ends of the shaft. By forming a shoulder 15 on the shaft adjacent the threaded portion 14 and a complementary recess in the recess 20 of Weight 18 the weight 18, when used alone, will firmly engage the shoulder 15 Providing a clean, crackless junction with the shaft 12.

It will thus be appreciated that the invention provides a weight lifting bell which is of attractive, clean appearance, is'freeof sharpprotrusions and in which no aceessorytools are r'equired't'o'add-or remove weights. 'The components are simple and easily manufactured and may be readily plated. Assembly and disassembly may be accomplished by unskilled users and the use of the pin anddepression minimizes the possibility of accidents due to the nut unloosening. It is understoodthat embodiments not illustrated or described employing the concepts of the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departe ing from the scope and spirit thereof and it is intended that the invention be defined only by the following claims.

I claim: 1. Weight lifting apparatus including a shaft having a hand grip portion and weight means, a threaded portion formed on the end of said shaft, a weight axially positionable on said shaft having first and second opposed sides, locating means supportable on said shaft and radially movable with respect thereto adapted to be engaged by and position said'weight, means mounted on said Weight on said first side thereof cooperating with said locating means preventing radial movement thereof and nut means cooperable with said threaded portion and engagable with the second side of said weight for maintaining said weight in cooperative engagement with said locating means. 7

2. In a weight lifting apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said locating means comprises a pin withina diametrical hole defined in said shaft'between said weight and shaft hand grip portion and said means mounted on said weight comprises an annular depression defined in said first side of said weight adapted to receive said pin and limit axial movement thereof to prevent said pin from disengaging from the diametrical hole within said shaft. 1

3. In a weight lifting apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said nut means is in the formof an additional weight,

-4. Weight lifting apparatus comprising in-combination a shaft having a central hand grip portion, a threaded portion'formed on atleast one end of said shaft, .21 di ametrical hole defined'in said shaft intermediate said threaded portion and said hand grip portion, a first'weight, a threaded bore defined in said first weight cooperable with said threaded shaft portion, a second weight having first and second opposed sides, an axialbore defined within said second weight for axially positioning said second weight on' said shaft, an axial extending annular recess defined within said second weight on said first side, a pin insertable into said hole defined insaid shaft and adapted to be received within said recess, said recess adapted to overlap the ends of the pin and prevent axial be axially mounted on said shaft.

6; Weight lifting apparatus comprising in combination, a shaft having a central hand grip portion, threads defined on each end of said shaft, a' group of axially spaced diametrica'ly extending holes defined in said shaft intermediate said hand grip portion and each of said threaded shaft ends, firstweights having a threaded bore cooperable with said threaded shaft ends,,axially bored second weights having first and second opposed sides axially positionable upon said shaft, an equal number of said second weights being located adjacent each end of said shaft, a pin inserted into one of said transversely extending holes of each group, a circular recess defined in each side of'said second weights concentric to the bore thereof, said recess being of a diameter slightly greater than the length of said pin and peripherally defined by an axially extending shoulder whereby said second weights are maintained in position on said shaft by said first weight creating an axial force on said second side maintaining the recessof said first side against said pin and wherein said pin is, restrained against axial displacement by said shoulder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 298,608 Mohr May 13, 1884 1,270,034, Krudop June 18, 1918 1,991,520 Postl' Feb. 19, 1935 2,447,218 'Trzesniewski -Aug. 17, 1948 2,821,394 Barbeaui Jan. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 18,336 Great 1890 

